Living with Yourself

Saturday night some friends and I had a word party. We played scategories, I put on a cape and recited the "Jabberwocky," and we also shared poetry that we love. Normally I am not much of a poetry fan (thank you ENGL 1010 and 2010 professor for making me read and decipher nasty and depressing poetry, therefore skewing my perception of what poetry can be), but a couple poems were really profound, like this one:

"Myself" by Edgar Albert Guest

I have to live with myself and so
I want to be fit for myself to know.
I want to be able as days go by,
always to look myself straight in the eye;
I don't want to stand with the setting sun
and hate myself for the things I have done.
I don't want to keep on a closet shelf
a lot of secrets about myself
and fool myself as I come and go
into thinking no one else will ever know
the kind of person I really am,
I don't want to dress up myself in sham.
I want to go out with my head erect
I want to deserve all men's respect;
but here in the struggle for fame and wealth
I want to be able to like myself.
I don't want to look at myself and know that
I am bluster and bluff and empty show.
I never can hide myself from me;
I see what others may never see;
I know what others may never know,
I never can fool myself and so,
whatever happens I want to be
self respecting and conscience free.

 

 

Take a second to really let that soak in, and maybe read it again. Woah. Profound, right? I do want to live my life with no regrets. I want to be confident in me.

 

This poem made me think of this picture:

 

 

 

Why did I think of this? Because I view self-analysis in three ways:

 

1. What am I now? I want to be able to say right now that I can live with myself, but I also want to be honest and understand my strengths and those things upon which I can improve upon. I know that as I strive to become closer to God, that many of my weaknesses will improve.

 

2. Where do I want to be? My goal is life is to have no regrets at my death bed. I know who I want to become and I am excited to get there. My goals are attainable and unique to me. Many of them involve simply striving to become who God wants me to be.

 

3. How does God view me? Maybe the most important of all the questions. God loves ALL of His children, "anxiety, self-image, and all." We are all children of our Heavenly Father - His divine creations with unlimited potential to acheive greatness. Even when we stumble and fall, He still loves us and will cheer us on. God knows what I and you can become. He knows that we can become even as He is.

 

Self-reflection and self-analysis is great. Please remember though, that none of us are perfect, and that is why we have a Savior who has paid for our sins, that we might repent.

 

Strive today to be someone you can easier live with.